Selected 21st overall by Calgary in June, the
Stanstead College product may immediately play a big role for the
Friars during his freshman season.

"I think he sees the ice and skates very well and the only real
need of improvement is his weight," Providence coach Nate Leaman
told reporters after the draft, adding that he felt Jankowski was
ready to become the team’s top-line center upon his
arrival.

"The one thing I like about Mark is that he makes players around
him better. I first saw him when I was a coach at Union [College]
and about three months later, when I took the position at
Providence, I really started tracking and watching him."

Jankowski, 17, had 93 points and a plus-51 rating in 57 games
for Stanstead last season. Central Scouting had him ranked
43rd among North American skaters, but the Flames
thought he had too much raw talent to pass up.

"His skill set, hands, vision and skating are really good,"
Flames director of amateur scouting Tod Button told NHL.com. "We
couldn't find a flaw in him except inexperience and the level of
competition. We can only judge guys by where they play, right? We
liked everything about him and we think he has a real high ceiling
to be a real good NHL player."

Goaltender Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine), selected in the
third round by Calgary, will also be attending Providence in the
fall. Gillies went 31-11-9 for the USHL’s Indiana Ice this
past season.

The Friars will be looking to qualify for the NCAA tournament
for the first time since 2001.